>>'m writing what I want to write, and if it's not marketable, then it's not marketable and I'll write something else later that is. But I like this story, I believe in it, and I want to tell it.<<
And you know, this is exactly the place you need to be if you want to keep on loving writing--and have any real hope of publishing.
When I suddenly broke from speculative fiction in 2008 to write my Shenandoah novels, which are pure historical fiction, a bunch of people did look at me askance because I'd taken the first steps towards making a name for myself in SF/F, and they thought I was throwing that away. But everyone else understand: These were the books of my heart. I'd already written my first dream book--the SF one with my uncle--and what was originally the one-volume Shenandoah (and is now four) was the other. The story had been in my head in one form or another since 1985; and I finally got to the point where it had to be written.
If you write the book of your heart you can't go wrong, whether or not it gets published.
As for mountain climbing...the way I see it, I have a whole range of mountains I want to climb. Publishing one book was one of them. That doesn't mean I don't want to go see what the view from the peak is over there, too. :)
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Date: 2010-01-25 09:11 pm (UTC)And you know, this is exactly the place you need to be if you want to keep on loving writing--and have any real hope of publishing.
When I suddenly broke from speculative fiction in 2008 to write my Shenandoah novels, which are pure historical fiction, a bunch of people did look at me askance because I'd taken the first steps towards making a name for myself in SF/F, and they thought I was throwing that away. But everyone else understand: These were the books of my heart. I'd already written my first dream book--the SF one with my uncle--and what was originally the one-volume Shenandoah (and is now four) was the other. The story had been in my head in one form or another since 1985; and I finally got to the point where it had to be written.
If you write the book of your heart you can't go wrong, whether or not it gets published.
As for mountain climbing...the way I see it, I have a whole range of mountains I want to climb. Publishing one book was one of them. That doesn't mean I don't want to go see what the view from the peak is over there, too. :)